The Critical Consumer

I have yet to really spend much time preparing reviews of local Sushi/Japanese restaurants, mostly because I know how much time it is going to take, but I think I better bite the bullet on this one and just do one at a time.

Sonobana is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Nashville (their website is a little lacking, but has a pretty decent listing of their food choices). It is located in Lions Head Plaza on White Bridge Rd, near Anatolia Turkish Cuisine and Dalt’s American Grill. The main reason I like it so much is because they offer a unique and vast assortment of specialty sushis as well as authentic Japanese cuisine. Their menu is quite extensive, but each item is accompanied by a picture that usually does a good job of accurately representing the food selection. They have a traditional American dining room, with a sushi bar, but also two tatami mat rooms where you sit floor level and eat around a large table. I haven’t tried that yet, but would love to go with a group some day.

I usually start out with some Wasabi Shumai, which are pork dumplings whose wrapping has been infused with wasabi. Add some spicy mustard and its one kickin’ way to start off the meal (click to see a larger picture):

My usual companion opts to start with the Chicken Negima appetizer, which is basically chicken wrapped around cheese and some kind of steamed veggie (scallions, I think):

Then for the sushi! Not only do they make all the traditional nigiri and typical American sushi rolls, they have some pretty fancy ones too. This one is called the Rebecca Roll and it is a tempura fried California Roll that is topped with baked shrimp in sweet sauce.

Mmmm…makes my mouth water just describing it. Its quite a dish and could satisfy one if they’ve already had soup, salad, and an appetizer. Of course, we always order too much, so here’s some more:

The long one on top is a Snake Roll, which includes cucumber, crab and roe on the inside, then eel and avocado on the outside. The eel is always delicious and the roll is a reliable favorite.

Under the Snake Roll is the Dynamite Roll. This one has tuna, yellowtail, burdock (a root vegetable), mayo & wasabi. Can you tell I like wasabi? It was…okay…not the best roll I’ve had.

The lone shrimp nigiri was me attempting to be brave and it was actually pretty good. After we’d finished our sushi they brought out the fried head of the shrimp, but I didn’t get a picture. And I didn’t eat it.

Lastly, there is the Hiroshi roll. This is otherwise known as the “salad” roll because it is all veggies except for the cream cheese. Even the wrapping is a veggie, radish actually. There is no rice in this roll which makes it quite different and surprisingly light. It was a nice smooth balance to the other, more spicy spicier, rolls.

We don’t usually get any dessert because we are too stuffed to even think about it, but they have a good selection of ice creams, including a fried ice cream, which I should really try someday soon. They don’t serve Mochi, a traditional Japanese dessert, but they do sell it in the adjacent market. They also have somewhat of a large selection of Manga and Videos for rent, if you’re able to read Japanese.

Prices are pretty fair for the selection and freshness. Sushi rolls range from $3.00 to $12.95, but most of the specialty rolls are around $4.50. They have a nice selection of wine, beer, sake and liquor, although I usually stick with Diet Coke.

On a busy night, service can be a little slow, but not as bad as some. Dishes like Sukiyaki and baked Sushi rolls can take a little longer, but its worth the wait in my opinion. All in all, I am very fond of Sonobana (formerly known as Benkay, but has new management). I just found out, from their website, that they have an all-you-can-eat buffet on Super Bowl Sunday! I know where we’ll be February 3rd!